Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 122219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
We continued eating, and he managed to get a few laughs out of me, too, which made him feel like the biggest success that afternoon.
“What’s this I hear about Nathan Pierce sweeping you away over the weekend?” he asked. “I heard about it over at the coffee shop.”
I groaned. “People are talking already, huh?”
“You know this town. It’s what they do best. What’s the deal with you and Nathan?” He lowered his brows. “Is there something there?”
“Gosh, no. Not outside of his coaching with me. He just found me in a bad moment and got me out of town for a bit.” Daddy’s brows stayed lowered as he studied my face, and I laughed. “Seriously, Dad. There’s nothing there. He was just a friend helping me out of a hard time.”
“A friend?” he questioned. “Last I heard, you hated his guts, and he was going to ruin your coaching style.”
“Right. No. I still hate him. I didn’t mean friend. I meant coworker. He’s fine. It’s whatever. He’s not that bad of an addition to the team. The guys like him. It’s nothing, though. We are strictly professional. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Dad smiled a “bullshit answer but I’ll accept it” kind of smile, and we left the conversation at that.
After our meal, he headed home, and I drove to make one more stop before heading over to Big Bird. My house.
Well, my old house.
I knew Wesley was out of town doing training for his new position, so I couldn’t think of a better time to pack my stuff and drive it over to the storage locker I’d rented.
After parking my car in the driveway, I climbed out of the vehicle and grabbed the boxes waiting in my trunk.
I stood still in front of the house that once was a home. My home. I felt the disconnect already. As if my spirit had already unplugged from the memories made within those walls.
Then again, I wasn’t certain I’d ever truly plugged myself in.
I headed inside and packed up my things.
Later that week, movers would come and get most of the boxes and place them into a storage unit until I found my next stop.
After I finished, I grabbed two suitcases and put them into my car.
As I locked the front door, I figured that would be the closest I’d get to having a real goodbye with Wesley. We didn’t get the closure I thought I deserved after three years. On the day of the wedding, I was in shock, but ever since, I’d wondered how he’d been more than once.
I wondered if he was happy.
I wondered if he missed me.
I wondered if he’d wished we had better closure, a better goodbye.
Goodbyes felt harder when they were one-sided.
19
AVERY
The problem with staying in Big Bird? It wasn’t exactly weatherproof. A few hours into the night, the roof started to leak over me. I placed a few bowls down to catch the rain, but unfortunately, the speed of the rain was coming faster and faster. “Geez, Willow. How do you live like this?”
I shot her a text message, though she might’ve been flying high in the sky.
Avery
Water is getting all over the place. Any tips?
A few minutes later, she replied from her layover.
Willow
Do a rain dance. It’s romantic.
Never in my life did I realize that my sister and I were more different than at that very moment.
Willow
It’s nature’s kisses.
Avery
Shut up, Willow.
She followed that up with a kissing emoji.
I put my phone away and went to work, trying to patch up the ceiling where the water dripped from. Then I went to the bathroom, and when I tried to flush it, water began to rise in the toilet instead of going down.
“No, no, no,” I barked as it overflowed. I grabbed the towels from the tiny shower and tossed them onto the floor. Just then, my patch on the ceiling came off, and water started rushing in quickly. “Nooo!” I screamed out, trying to grab everything I could of my stuff and Willow’s to avoid too much water damage.
I tossed all the important things into my car, then stuffed the hole in the roof with a sheet, which was getting drenched.
The floor was flooded with no signs of it getting better.
Avery
Really bad flooding. Not sure what to do.
Willow
Maybe take Nathan Pierce up on his offer for the night. Don’t worry about Big Bird. She’ll dry out when I get back home.
The amount of chill my little sister had was enough to give me gray hair. No wonder Daddy was bald.
20
NATHAN
There was a pounding at my door a little after midnight, and I was surprised to find Avery standing there with a suitcase sitting beside her. Her eyes looked exhausted and defeated. I could feel the heaviness resting against her soul as she grimaced.
“I need you,” she said with a weighted sigh. “Is the spare room at 505 West Chipper Lane still available for rent?” she asked shyly, brushing a hand over her soaking wet hair. She then sneezed and shook the rain off her body. “Because I could really use a place to crash for a little while.”